Some free antennas available........

KD2SL; Kevin has some surplus antennas available that could be modified for the amateur bands. Check out his website at KD2SL.com for pictures and information.

Onondaga County Emergency Communications meeting 4/26

(from the April LARC Long Wire Newsletter)


The next meeting of Onondaga County Radio Emergency Corp, RACES and ARES will be on Tuesday April 26, 2016 at the Liverpool Fire Department Station #1 (RT 57, Oswego Rd). Doors will open by 5:30...meeting to begin at 6 PM. Please park out back by the meeting room.


This is open to any amateur operator with an interest in auxiliary communications. You do not need to be a member.

New 220mhz Net on Friday nights!

The KD2SL 224.120 Repeater in Syracuse will be hosting a new Friday night Net starting at 7pm. This will be a general net, open to various discussion topics. N2VZD; Tim will be the "starting" host, but he hopes to have alternating NET control operators as time goes on. This is a great opportunity to get some experience running a NET. Contact N2VZD; Tim at N2VZD@aol.com if you are interested in helping out.

On the April 22nd Net, KD2SL; Kevin will start out the NET with an overview of his 220 repeater project and the work that went into bringing it on the air. Check out pictures at KD2SL.com.

So tune in to 224.120 Mhz (-) PL = 103.5, starting this Friday and join the fun!

Drumlins Hamfest, April 23rd, 2016

Drumlins Hamfest is next Saturday!  More info at: http://www.drumlinsarc.org/hamfest.htm

WNY SkyWarn training

There are several upcoming SkyWarn training events in the Western NY counties.

Ontario County on May 3rd
Wayne County on April 27th
Monroe County on May 6th

....and several others, learn more details at the National Weather Service Buffalo SkyWarn site:
http://www.weather.gov/buf/Skywarn

Learn more about Amateur Radio and SkyWarn at:
http://www.upstateham.com/p/skywarn.html

SAVE THE DATE - CNY Ham Radio Breakfast on Sunday May 15th

Thanks to K2WOP; Curt, we have finally picked a spring date to get a breakfast scheduled and open to ALL local Hams. It will be Sunday, May 15th at 10 am, come early or stay late. This is a great chance to meet up with some of the folks you talk to on the air, but possibly have never met in person. Come on all you drive time radio jockeys, "6M QCWA Netters", CNY SWAP and Hobby Net check-ins - we hope to see you all there.

Location: The "Finally Ours Diner" is at 3788 West Seneca Turnpike, at the corner with Cedarville Rd. in the Onondaga Hill area of Syracuse (see directions here: http://finallyoursdiner.com/hours-contact ).

Questions? contact Curt; K2WOP or Tony; KC2VER on the 146.67 repeater.


Finally Ours Diner link: http://finallyoursdiner.com/

Onondaga County SkyWarn training - April 20th

Spring Basic Skywarn training will be happening on Wednesday, April 20, 2016 at the Clay fire station No. 1 at 4383 State Route 31, Clay, NY 13041. Class will run from 6:30pm  - 8:30pm for anyone in Onondaga County looking for SkyWarn training.

Registration can be done online at http://goo.gl/forms/2kQwK2kbSI  

From: Shawn; KC2QXG - Onondaga County ARES Skywarn Coordinator

More on SkyWarn and Amateur Radio: http://www.upstateham.com/p/skywarn.html

Fulton Amateur Radio Club is offering a $500 college scholarship

The Fulton Amateur Radio Club is sponsoring the Thomas Cantine Jr. W2TQF Memorial Scholarship. This is a great opportunity for any amateur radio licensed student in CNY. Those living in Oswego, Onondaga, Cayuga or Jefferson counties are eligible to participate.

The application deadline is May 6th, 2016. The application, along with more information about Thomas Cantine and the scholarship is available at: https://www.fultonamateurradioclub.org/W2TQF_Scholarship

Susquehannock Rally needs radio volunteers - June 3-4

Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR) is an exciting and demanding motorsport featuring some of the most challenging roads in the world, drawing top worldwide professional rally teams. STPR® 2016 marks the 40th running of this event, the oldest, continuously running motor sports event in PA. Wellsboro PA is a scenic tourist destination, 2 hours south of Rochester. Licensed amateur radio operators are needed for rally communications, for net control, at spectator and safety checkpoints, to ride in rally vehicles, and other duties. Volunteers get free food, free camping, free t-shirt, pin and bumper sticker, free admission to the fairgrounds, the best rally spectating, and other benefits. This may be the most fun you’ll have as a ham. Go to www.stpr.org for more information and to volunteer check out http://www.stpr.org/volunteers/.

Ask for more info at RARA meetings and someone will tell you their STPR stories. If you’ve never seen this type of motorsport before, it’s similar to world rally or global rallycross, small powerful cars going as fast as they can through the woods on dirt roads.


Performance rallying is the exciting and demanding motorsport. With its high percentage of stage miles and a course featuring some of the most challenging roads in the world, STPR® is one of the America’s best-known rally events.STPR® regularly draws the top rally teams from the United States, Canada and abroad who enjoy putting their skills to the extreme test of performance rally. Competitors from the worldwide professional rally community are also found at this premier event.

References: April 2016 RARA Rag (Jon Dickason,N2JAC) and the STPR website.

Taking the Mystery Out of Echo-link

Stan; N2STC, will be giving a presentation called "Taking the Mystery Out of Echo-link"  at the Madison-Oneida Amateur Radio Club  (MOARC) monthly meeting on Wednesday March 30th at 7:30pm in the library at the Madison-Oneida BOCES complex in Verona NY. The BOCES education complex is only a few miles off the NYS Thruway near the Turning Stone Casino.

All HAMs are welcome.

See the MOARC website for more info:  http://www.moarc.com/ 

Thousand Islands Repeater Club - Swapfest/Hamfest

The Thousand Islands Repeater Club is going to hold a Swapfest/Hamfest on Saturday, May 21st, 2016
Location:  Depauville Fire Department Banquet Hall, 15191 School Street, Depauville, NY 13632
Time:  8:00am – 1:00pm 
(Set-up starts at 7:00) 


Admission:  $2, under 12 freeTables available for $10, Tailgate: $5
W5YI VE Testing @ 10am ($14)
Door Prizes and Raffles

More information at: www.tirepeaterclub.com

(It is the same weekend as Dayton, but we figured many from up this way don't get down there).

For any questions, people can check the website, or email us at tirepeaterclub@yahoo.com.

Finger Lakes Weather Net

John KD2GTA of Geneva, will be starting a Weather Net on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 at 7pm on the N2MKT 443.250+ (110.9) repeater in Newark, NY. The repeater will also be linked to the WA2AAZ 146.745- (71.9) repeater in Newark.  He would like to have 2 nets a month and when ever there is severe weather event in the area.

John is associated with the Storm Tracker Team in Wayne County.  He can be contacted at: zoger77@gmail.com

NY Storm Trackers team Facebook link:
https://www.facebook.com/Storm-Trackers-Team-NY-249878011776436/

Thanks for your support Congressman John Katko!

JOHN KATKO
24TH DISTRICT, NEW YORK
________________________________________
1123 LONGWORTH HOUSE OFFICE BLDG
WASHINGTON, DC 20515
________________________________________
440 SOUTH WARREN STREET
7TH FLOOR, SUITE 711
SYRACUSE, NY 13202
(315) 423-5657
________________________________________
HTTP://KATKO.HOUSE.GOV 


March 18, 2016

Mr. xxxx x. xxxxxxx
xxx xxxxxxxxxxx Rd
xxxxxxxx, NY xxxxx-xxxx

Dear Mr. xxxxxx,

I recognize the value of amateur radio stations throughout our nation and due to your involvement in the field, I wanted to inform you of my recent efforts in Washington to support amateur radio stations.

Radio amateurs provide an invaluable service to Central New York by disseminating emergency and disaster relief communications from their personal radio stations.  Without cost to taxpayers, these radio stations can serve to assist with communications from the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, FEMA, and the Department of Defense in times of emergency.  For this reason, I have cosponsored H.R. 1301, the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015.

As you may know, on March 4th, H.R. 1301 was introduced in the House and has since been referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, where it awaits review.  The legislation would direct the Federal Communications Commission to revise height and dimension restrictions for station antenna structures of amateur service communications, to prohibit a private land use restriction from applying to amateur service communications if the restriction prevents such communications.

Should additional legislation related to this issue come before the House, I will continue to advocate for the interests of amateur radio stations throughout the 24th District.

I hope that you will keep me informed of the issues important to you and your family, as your input helps me to better serve you as your Representative in Congress. If you would like to stay informed of the latest issues coming out of Washington, you can visit www.katko.house.gov to sign up for my e-newsletter.

Sincerely,


John Katko
Member of Congress


I just received this letter today from my Congressman. I wrote to him at the urging of many local hams some time ago to ask for his support of H.R. 1301, the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015. Its nice when someone in government listens these days. Thanks John!

Spring SkyWarn Training

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Binghamton has started spring SkyWarn training. They have both On-line and local training classes available. I can personally speak of the great job the NWS Binghamton office does with this training. (Buffalo and Albany offices are also doing spring training - see their websites for details)

What is SKYWARN?
The effects of severe weather are felt every year by many Americans. To obtain critical weather information, NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, established SKYWARN® with partner organizations. SKYWARN® is a volunteer program with nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service.

More on SkyWarn and Amateur Radio: http://www.upstateham.com/p/skywarn.html

See the BGM NOAA-SkyWarn Training schedule here: http://www.weather.gov/bgm/outreachSKYWARNtraining

Update on the Rochester Hamfest - May 28th

 -Hello all and welcome to this edition of Prez Sez (from the RARA March 2016 Newsletter).

 It’s exciting times at RARA with the official announcement of the 2016 Rochester Hamfest. This year’s hamfest will be on Saturday May 28th at Kodak Park, with some great opportunities! We will have both indoor and outdoor facilities, all of the outdoor facilities being paved, so no worries about getting stuck in the mud even if it rains. Our Hamfest team has been doing a great job putting together logistics and working on some great raffle prizes for all those who attend. I’m looking forward to making a great weekend out of it, with Saturday being our hamfest, and Sunday and Monday being some great Memorial Day events around town. Whether you are from Rochester or visiting from another town, there’s sure to be a bunch of things to do with your family on this fun filled weekend. Also, if you’re from out of town, don’t worry, we’ve negotiated some great rates with an area hotel for you to stay in! Keep an eye on the RAG, our website, and our Facebook page for more information. I’d like to take time again to thank all of those members who serve as volunteers for the club. From our board, to our coordinators, hamfest volunteers, VE teams, public service volunteers, and all sort of other people, thank you for all you do for our club and our hobby. With your help, we’ve been able to organize the hamfest, resume VE testing, and put on a great winter “picnic” for all to enjoy. It’s easy for people to complain when things don’t go completely to plan, and to overlook your contributions when they do; I urge our membership to take time to remember that this club exists due to the continued selfless actions of about a tenth of the club who donate their time and money with no compensation beyond the occasional membership points.


WILL MULLANEY, KC2VSJ—RARA PRESIDENT

more info at: http://www.rochesterham.org/Hamfest.htm

Note from UpstateHam.com - folks this is a great event and the RARA group is working very hard to make this a major success at a new location. So save the date and plan to attend one of Upstate NY's best Hamfests!